Video: Outrage grows over Sudan death sentence for pregnant Christian

posted at 12:01 pm on May 26, 2014 by Ed Morrissey

There is a US connection to the case of Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, who drew a death sentence plus flogging of 100 lashes for the crime in Sudan for being a convert to Christianity. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) has begun pushing to get a grant of political asylum from the State Department while her family prays that Sudanese officials will deport her rather than execute her in their adherence to shari’a law:

The heart-wrenching story of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, a 27-year-old pregnant Sudanese woman, is rippling through New Hampshire, the adopted home of her husband, galvanizing activists, neighbors, and politicians to call for her rescue.

Ishag, 27, ran afoul of Islamic shariah law by marrying Daniel Wani, now a US citizen who lives in Manchester, N.H., with his brother, Gabriel. The family’s plight has captivated the small but tight-knit community of Sudanese immigrants here, many of whom fled religious persecution and strife in Sudan.

“The regime in Sudan, they can do whatever they want to do,” said Pastor Monyroor Teng, who heads the Sudanese Evangelical Covenant Church in Manchester. “We’re all still wondering, how is she going to survive this?”

Ishag, who is more than eight months pregnant, was shackled at the ankles when her husband saw her in prison, Wani has told media outlets. Other media outlets have described Ishag as a physician.

“Meriam Yahya Ibrahim Ishag’s sentencing is an abhorrent violation of universal human rights and fundamental freedoms,” US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said in a statement. “No one should be treated as a criminal for exercising the right of religious choice.”

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the State Department said the United States is “fully engaged diplomatically in the case,” and had communicated “strong concern at high levels of the Sudanese government.” The statement reiterated an earlier US call for Sudan to respect international and Sudanese laws protecting freedom of religion.

Sudan is facing mounting condemnation for sentencing a pregnant woman to be whipped and then hanged for adultery and apostasy, and for keeping her shackled in prison with her toddler son a month before she is due to give birth.

Governments, the UN and human rights groups have called on the Sudanese government to immediately release Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, 27, and overturn both her death sentence and sentence of 100 lashes. More than 100,000 people have backed a call by Amnesty International to release Ibrahim. …

Her lawyers have lodged an appeal against the sentence, which may be heard in Khartoum this week. Ibrahim is being held in harsh conditions and is constantly shackled, according to Amnesty. Her 20-month-old son, Martin, has been kept in prison with her since February.

Ibrahim has been told that her execution will be deferred for two years to allow her to deliver and then wean her baby.

Her husband, Daniel Wani, who left Sudan for the US in 1998, has travelled to Khartoum to try to secure the release of his wife and son. He said Ibrahim was being denied medical treatment and he had not been allowed to visit her or Martin, according to media reports.

The Sudanese authorities have reportedly refused to release the child to his father’s care because of his Christian faith.

The two-year extension gives the diplomacy route more time to have an impact, but Meriam still faces threats to her health and that of her children while incarcerated in these conditions. Pray for Meriam, and contact your elected officials to make sure that State is putting maximum pressure on Sudan for her release.

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Where is that Darfur dolt Clooney ? How come he is not in his camo jacket, filing his precious reports about human rights and poverty from the ground there , to make us feel guilty of being civilized people ?
Oh right, he is going to be a muslim himself now that he has to marry one. Nevermind ….

There may be a backdoor deal, but I don’t think it’s likely. The impossibility of leaving Islam is the core of its power. Without the injunction to kill apostates, Islam would be seen by its believers as just another religion, and people would be leaving in droves. The same sort of thing happens in Malaysia and Indonesia. Once a person is declared a Muslim, he’s always a Muslim — no exceptions.

I think this one is our problem, actually. She’s married to a US citizen, and already has one child with him. Do you know what will happen to that child if she is executed? He likely won’t go with his father since the child’s parents are not considered married according to islamic law. Same thing with the baby Mrs. Ibrahim is about to deliver. We should grant their petition for asylum, and do everything within our power to bring the family back here.

Now is the time for France, Germany and others to listen to Mr Sarkozy, and recognise that he is right. It isn’t good enough just to circle the wagons and tell the people of Europe to get stuffed, because next time the frustration of the electorate may be uncontainable. The message of the people to the Euro-nomenklatura is simple: changer ou mourir!

I’m only picking on you, because you previously took up the cause of Sudanese genocide against Christians.

listens2glenn on May 26, 2014 at 12:15 PM

Clooney tried to jump on the Euromaidan bandwagon. Made a video featuring himself prominently. Did jack-all to help. Having him along for a cause is about as useful as having an accordion along for a hunting trip.

I could be mistaken, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone do so. About the closest you’ll get is some crazies saying that some of us Christians are just as bad as or worse than the Muslims who torture and kill according to their book(s) (which, by the way, is real Islam).

So, where is the “Moderate Muslim” outcry over this? Surely, the “moderate muslims” are totally outraged and furiously working to stop this execution and prevent such a barbaric act and glaringly public stain on their religion, right?

The future doesn’t belong to those who are against sharia…. Islam is a beautiful religion or whatever Bush said. Saying/doing something will create more terrorists among the oppressed Muslims around the world. They are only Christians with no oil.

What about our U.S. Marine in prison in Mexico? Any outrage there?
Any help from Ayotte?

The only place I’ve heard of his plight is on Glenn Beck who has had the mother on several times.

Oh, O/T but there was a political earthquake in the UK. Haven’t seen a thread on HA yet.

bluefox on May 26, 2014 at 1:46 PM

It’s the lead story on the Fox news web page now. Greta also has done several features on him including running his route to show how easily he could have crossed the border by accident.

The Blaze had the link to the petition a few days ago. I posted it on another thread. There is a petition on the White House petition site. When I last checked they still needed over 30,000 signatures.

So, where is the “Moderate Muslim” outcry over this? Surely, the “moderate muslims” are totally outraged and furiously working to stop this execution and prevent such a barbaric act and glaringly public stain on their religion, right?

Yeah, sure. “moderate muslims” pffft.

Harbingeing on May 26, 2014 at 1:23 PM

Moderate Muslims are as Moderate Democrats: representatives of their otherwise extremist faction who are rational, agreeable, and entirely fictional.

So happy Mrs. Ibrahim’s plight (and that of her toddler son who I believe has been imprisoned with her) is receiving worldwide attention. There are others – American citizens among them – who have been left in the hands in their torturers/captors for far too long: http://beheardproject.com/saeed

Also why do still give aid to Sudan? We should be arming and training the Southern Sudanese Christians and Animist to crush the Muslim north.

I know that is not PC…not allowed to do that anymore. You know…wage war against Islamic Jihad.

Even more comical there is a lot of oil in Sudan that sits right on the dividing line between the Muslims and Christians in Sudan/South Sudan. China and the Arabians are siding with the Muslim north. It is only fair that we help the South with weapons and training, plus considering the Chinese are involved, I am sure we can get the energy needy Japanese to come in and help finance the whole enterprise.

I could be mistaken, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone do so. About the closest you’ll get is some crazies saying that some of us Christians are just as bad as or worse than the Muslims who torture and kill according to their book(s) (which, by the way, is real Islam).

Othniel on May 26, 2014 at 1:15 PM

It’s not that long ago that Christians were burning witches in the name of their god.

The impossibility of leaving Islam is the core of its power. Without the injunction to kill apostates, Islam would be seen by its believers as just another religion, and people would be leaving in droves. The same sort of thing happens in Malaysia and Indonesia. Once a person is declared a Muslim, he’s always a Muslim — no exceptions.

Aardvark on May 26, 2014 at 12:53 PM

Perhaps President Obama could help to explain this concept to the American people.

Until we see evidence of the international Muslim community working hard to save Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, the only logical conclusion we can come to is that Muslims worldwide agree that this is how Meriam Yahya Ibrahim and her family should be treated.

Perhaps President Obama could help to explain this concept to the American people.

Oh, wait…nevermind.

wren on May 26, 2014 at 3:40 PM

If your father is a Muslim so are you, it’s automatic. B. Hussein’s father was a Muslim. What would be interesting to know is when was he baptized. If he was past puberty then he is definitely an apostate according to all the Islamic religious schools and is eligible for the death penalty

And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should b e fulfilled… These souls were slain for being Christian and not worshipping the beast. Just thought I’d throw that out there.

If your father is a Muslim so are you, it’s automatic. B. Hussein’s father was a Muslim. What would be interesting to know is when was he baptized. If he was past puberty then he is definitely an apostate according to all the Islamic religious schools and is eligible for the death penalty

Annar on May 26, 2014 at 3:48 PM

Also , Hussein’s wife and family are automatically muslims according to the koran . Wonder what their islamic names are ?

Why can’t that mucking Obama at least make a comment about this situation and also why can’t he lift a finger with the Marine. That bas yard is absolutely worthless and that stupid McCain said we had nothing to worry about by this stupid little man we call president. That goes for Harry, Nancy , Schumer and the rest of the cut alike cookies.

If your father is a Muslim so are you, it’s automatic. B. Hussein’s father was a Muslim. What would be interesting to know is when was he baptized. If he was past puberty then he is definitely an apostate according to all the Islamic religious schools and is eligible for the death penalty

Annar on May 26, 2014 at 3:48 PM

According to Barack Obama in Dreams From My Father, there is no official record of his mother’s marriage to Barack Sr.

Given his mother’s apparent lack of interest in ceremony, I doubt she found any reason to baptize young Barry as an infant.

Perhaps Reverend Wright could tell us if Barack was baptized when he joined his church in Chicago. Nah, not likely.

After the execution all the useful idiots for Islam (including the Pope, Bush, Obama, Cameron, prince Charles, many Christian church leaders) together with the usual subversive Muslim leaders here will be assuring everyone that this is not true Islam. It is Islam, not radical Islam. It is standard Islamic law to execute apostates & blasphemers and Muslims have been doing it for fourteen centuries. Otherwise their obvious fraud of a religion would have mostly died out by now.

The main job of reassuring “moderate” Muslim leaders is lull you into complacency while the Muslim population increases. Here’s what happens historically as the Muslim population increases in a country:

Islam is scourge of the free world. As much as li liked and voted for GWB, his portrayal of islam as a religion of peace was totally and wholly false. Those barbarians still live in the 7th century. They need to be dealt with in the same manner. As Rush says there is no compromise when their starting point is “we want to kill you”.

Annar,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,This powerful gov’t won’t allow Christians to do anything other than attend church services. That maybe ending soon as well. Anytime a Christian does anything bad you can be assured that Obama and company well jail them. Notice he doesn’t say anything when Christians are killed or persecuted?

Sorry Annar, I misread your comments. I thought you said that Christians will soon be burning witches at the stake. I do stand by my statement that if Christians did that now the culprits would be jailed or executed.

Also , Hussein’s wife and family are automatically muslims according to the koran . Wonder what their islamic names are ?

burrata on May 26, 2014 at 4:06 PM

Buraq (Barack) is the name of the winged horse like animal that Moe rode to heaven to meet the prophets including Moses and Issa (Jesus). So O has a name, two if you count Husein. Michelle could go with Fatima (one of the pedophile’s daughters).

You’re comparing apples to oranges. I’m pretty sure that the Christian Doctrine (New Testament) doesn’t say anything about killing witches or non-believers. I don’t recall Jesus ever saying to kill those that don’t convert. However the Koran is loaded with verse after verse justifying killing those that don’t convert to Islam… nice try.

iceman1960 on May 26, 2014 at 4:23 PM

In Salem, Mass. they replaced the stake by a rope. 19 witches were hanged in 1692 alone. It is true that the death to witch thing came from the OT (Exodus 22:18) but it is also amazing how certain parts of the old book are cited as being part of the Christian belief system and others not.

I’ve recently come around to agreeing with the idea this Islam of horrors is not the real Islam.

The real Islam is Ahmadi Islam. All other modern Muslims who deny Ahmadiyya are apostates and should be killed ….. only the Ahmadi’s did away with killing apostates (and made many other reforms that recognize today’s Muslims should not continue living in the 7th Century). Oh, well. It’s tough being the good guys/not homicidal lunatics in Islam.

The Ahmadi’s are only about 1% of Muslims, and Muslim countries like Pakistan forbid them from calling themselves Muslims. They suffer the same kinds of persecution and genocide against them the Christians and others face.

Unfortunately, when our ‘leaders’ refer to ‘real’ Islam, they are not referring to the Ahmadi’s. They prefer to embrace the ‘moderate’ Muslims who refuse to denounce the kind of vicious thinking we see in this case.

My point is that the real alternative already exists, if only the ‘moderate’ Muslims would reach for it. If they don’t, their vicious, intolerant cult is going to end up getting them all killed.

Civilization will put up with a great deal of crap, but when it gets pushed too far, the hammer comes down like it did on the Nazis and Imperial Japan.

The good news is Ahmadiyya is the fastest growing sect in Islam in the 21st Century. There may be hope.

This is horrific, but it’s not anymore horrific than anything else the Islamic nations do on a daily basis.

That being said, you know what rather unique angle on this struck me as I was reading it? That even amongst these barbaric people for whom human life has such little value, even they are able to recognize that the unborn child inside this woman is a separate person and defer her execution so that it can survive.